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MASS. VOL. INFANTRY. 



By WILLIAM H. CLARK, 



[Private, Co. E.] 




PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR. 



HOLLISTON : 

J. C. Clark & Co 
1871. 



Els 13. 
,5 



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TO 

GEN. WM. S. LmCOLN, 

OF WORCESTER, 

SO LONG AND HONORABLY ASSOCIATED 

WITH THE REGIMENT, 

THESE SKETCHES ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED 

BY THE AUTHOR. 



NOTE. 



The Reader will please bear in mind that this little 
work does not claim in any sense to be a history of 
the Regiment; but simply the recollections of the 
writer np to May 15th, 1864, when he received the 
wound which disabled him from further military 
service. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

9 
The Farewell, ' " 

CHAPTER IT. 

- 11 

Fun in Camp, - 

CHAPTER in. 

14 
Harper's Ferry, 

CHAPTER lY. 

18 
The Skirmish, 

CHAPTER V. 

22 
Newmarket, 

CHAPTER VI. 
Incidents, 



In Memoriam, 



CHAPTER VII. 

...... 29 



9 



CHAPTER I. 



THE FARE^A^ELL. 



m is the afternoon of a summer day, with but ht- 
,_ I tie breeze more than enough to gently sway 
i&! the folds of a new and handsome National 
Flag, which is in full view of the multitude 
who encompass it. We have taken the reader, in 
thought, to the spacious and beautiful Common in 
Worcester, on the 15th of August, 1862. 
■ A few words concerning this great gathering ; the 
close attention of all being drawn to the speaker's 
stand in its centre. Citizens of all classes are here, 
gazing and listening, representing the population of 
the city and suburbs. Its inner circles are clothed 
in the uniform of their country's service, and stand 
in military order. To them, as a Regiment, through 



2 



10 



their commander, who is conspicuous on the stand by 
his uncovered head and noble bearing, the Flag is 
being presented : a touching farewell act of the ladies 
of Worcester. 

It is delivered with fitting words, and now not only 
the soldier, but the orator speaks. Never, while 
memory lasts, will the picture be erased from the 
mind of one, at least ; the central figure, the devoted 
Wells : so soon, comparatively, to be the lamented. 

The throng breaks, and the Regiment gradually 
prepares to leave the city for fields of duty, not to 
shrink from fields of danger. Hark ! as they slowly 
recede from sight, and the clangor of martial music 
is hushed, can you not almost distinguish, stealing 
through yonder casement where a lonely heart is 
thinking of the absent ones, the plaintive words : 

*' Thinking no less of them, 

But loving our country the more ; 
We've sent them forth to fight for the flag. 

That our fathers before them bore. 

Brave boys are they, 

Gone at their country's call ; 
And yet, and yet, we cannot forget 

That many brave boys must fall." 



11 



CHAPTER II. 



FUN IN CAMP. 




.eary and monotonous indeed, would be many 

of the days spent in camp by the soldier, 

l^^^ did not something crop out of an amusing 

nature, either in the proper members of the 

camp or in some of its motley group of followers. 

One such safety-valve was found in a stout, unctu- 
ous darkey, who seemed to be the " right hand man " 
of our regimental sutler. Worthy Oscar! I know 
not whether thou dost still walk on this earth of ours, 
or hast entered the spirit land which so many of thy 
brave fellow-Africans reached, who with a more war- 
like spirit than thine, died on fields of duty and 
glory. Peace to thee, in any event, for none more 
faithfully performed his duty. 



12 



On one occasion, however, the " even tenor of his 
way " was rudely broken in upon, to the great amuse- 
ment of the large number who happened to be in 
view of that part of the camp at the time. It seems 
that a private soldier of mischievous propensities had 
been for some time teasing our colored friend by 
thrusting a burning twig from the camp fire into his 
face ; yet during the ordeal he had kept his patience^ 
and only tried to get rid of his tormentor by entreat- 
ies. Suddenly he turns upon him, forbearance haying 
ceased to be a virtue in the case, and the two fall 
heavily to the ground; Oscar having decidedly the 
advantage of his enemy, which he as decidedly keeps. 
The roar of laughter which followed this unexpected 
discomfiture w^as probably more pleasant to the ears 
of Oscar than to those of his antagonist. 

Another case in which our hero was concerned 
related to the legitimate business of the sutler's tent, 
and was told in Company E to the amusement of 
many, by poor Hunter, who afterwards while in the 
performance of duty at the Shenandoah, fell through 
an opening in the bridge in an unguarded moment 
and was drowned. 



13 



o 



The story was something like this : '' Well, yer see 
de feller lie comes up 'moiigst cle crowd, an' says he, 
I wants -A fried ]){&. So I takes de fried pie an' hands 
it to him, an' looks for de money ; but somehow de 
feller gits shook up in de crowd, an' I hav'nt seen 
him^ nor de money^ nor de fried pie since." This 
was given with capital powers of imitation, and never 
failed to '*' bring down the house." 

There is something which irresistably appeals, in 
many phases of the African character, to our Ameri- 
can sense of humor. At the same time we discover 
running through it a vein. of sentiment, which blend- 
ing with the other, dignifies the effect. 

'"Way down upon de Swanee Riber, 

Far, far away ; 
Dere's where my heart am turning eber, 

Dere's where de old folks stay. 

When I was in de fields a hoeing, 

Near set ob sun ; 
So glad to hear de horn a blowing, 

Tellinir dat de work was done. 

O, den de darkies frolic sweetly. 

Banjo in tune ; 
Dinah and Phillis dressed so neatly, 

Dance by de big round moon." 



14 



CHAPTER III. 



HARPER'S FERRY. 






^ 










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or some weeks the Thirty-Fourth had remained 
in Washington, T). C, furnishing daily heavy 
details of" neatly equipped men for guard 
duty ; principally to be employed in guarding 
the Carroll and Old Capitol Prisons. During this 
time the general soldierly deportment of the rank and 
hie, together with tlie fine appearance of the regiment 
on dress parade, attracted much attention and called 
forth many complimentary expressions from the resi- 
dents of Washington. * 
But ^'marching orders" do not stop to take counsel 
of their subjects, and on. a well-remembered evening 
in July, 1863, they turned our quiet barracks into a 
scene of bustle and confusion. A ride of a few hours 



15 



over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad brought us into 
the immediate yioinity of Harper's Ferry. 

The activity which prevailed throughout our force 
on the morning of July Uth made it evident to all 
that a movement across the Potomac was intended. 
All needful preparations having been made, a lively 
cannonade 5vas opened from the heights above, under 
cover of which our force embarked in pontoon boats 
that were near at hand, and crossing, passed through 
the deserted streets up to the higher ground beyond; 
dislodging a small body of the enemy which had been 
holding possession. As the afternoon advanced a 
considerable force of cavalry passed through the 
place, file foUowuig file in a seemingly endless succes- 
sion, till the eye was wearied with attempting to take 
in tlie living current. Our occupation of Harper's 
Ferry, begun under these circumstances, was destined 
to continue for many months, with the exception of 
•an occasional brief visit to Martinsburg towards the 

close of winter. 

Perhaps the most notable incident of our service 
during these months was a trip to Harrisonburg, 
about one hundred miles into Virginian territory, 



16 



over that noble production of the road-maker^s art; 
the " Shenandoah Valley turnpike." This demonstra- 
tion, which was successfully and safely accomplished? 
was doubtless intended as a diversion in favor of the 
raid at that time being executed by Gen. Averill, with 
his much larger force. Altliough we were closely 
followed by a brigade of the enemy, in our rapid and 
forced march homewards ; yet by the intervention of 
favorable events, the friendly shadow of the Maryland 
heights was reached with no loss from our hazardous 
attempt at •' bearding the lion in his den/' as our ad- 
venture was described by the Richmond Examiner. 

Our long stay in this town gave many opportunities 
for examining its objects of interest, including the 
Engine House, worthy of note as the fortress occu- 
pied by John Brown while he held possession, during 
the brief campaign destined to end so disastrously 
for those engaged in it. The ruins of Armory and 
other buildings made it very evident tliat an immense 
amount of property had been destroyed in the two 
years in which the spirit of war had held carnival 
thete. 

The climate, through the winter months we spent 



17 

in this place, seemed to suggest some New England 
locality rather than a part of the '^sunny South." 
Snow storms and bleak, cold winds, find as congenial 
a home around those rocky heights as Massachusetts 
could offer them ; at least, such was the impression 
made upon the mind of the writer. The sublimity 
and grandeur of Nature's works here well repay any 
effort required to reach an eligible point of view; 
but it requires no effort to enable the mind nurtured 
"beneath New England's sky " to dwell again, in 
thought, among its native hills. 

" Once more, O Mountains of the North, unveil 
Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by! 

And once more, ere the eyes that seek ye fail, 
Uplift against the blue walls of the sky 

Your mighty shapes, and let the sunshine weave 
Its golden net-work in your belting woods. 
Smile down in rainbows from your falling floods 

And on your kingly brows at morn and eve 
Set crowns of fire ! So shall my soul receive 

Haply the secret of your calm and strength, 
Your unforgotten beauty interfuse 
My common life, your glorious shapes and hues 
And sun-dropped splendors at my bidding come, 
Loom vast through dreams, and stretch in billowy length 
From the sea-level of my lowland home ! Whittier, 



18 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE SKIRMISH. 




|he morning of Sunday, October 13, 1863, proved 
a disastrous one to the Ninth Maryland Regi- 
c^^,u^-v«ig7 ment, who were only a few miles distant from 
our encampment at Harper's Ferry. As it 
proved, the enemy in considerable force, under Gen. 
Imboden, had made an early and vigorous attack on 
that Regiment at Charlestown, and captured them 
bodily, in number about three hundred. Every avail- 
able man of the Thirty-Fourth was promptly called 
out, and preceded by a Battery which was stationed 
near by, we started in pursuit. Often had the wish 
been expressed that we might see some actual fight- 
ing, and at last the wish was to be gratified. 

A running fight commenced soon after reaching 



19 



Charlestown, the Battery which was still in advance, 
having engaged the enemy just beyond that place. 
We pushed on, passing at one time the dead body of 
a soldier, killed during the morning's engagement, 
and a few miles of rapid marching bring us into close 
proximity to the foe, as the shells falling within a 
short distance from our ranks fully prove. Each 
Company has been assigned the best position allowed 
by the character of the ground, which is somewhat 
uneven and obstructed by fences. A lively discharge 
of musketry is kept up from both sides for a time, 
but finally ceases. At about this period in the fight, 
a small body of mounted infantry from the enemy's 
force charge toward us till but a short space inter- 
venes, and then wheeling easily, soon disappear in the 
distance. We afterwards learn that the Springfield 
muskets of one of our wing Companies told with 
effect on their ranks. The firing has now ceased, 
and we are ordered to cross the open ground which 
separates our position from that of the enem3\ This 
is safely accomplished, and it is found that they have 
again retreated. 

Our Commanding Officer now considers that the 



20 



pursuit has been pushed far enough, and the order 19 
given to return to Harper's Ferry. Marching and 
resting alternately, we reach our quarters at a late 
hour, feeling well satisfied wuth this first experience 
of actual fighting. Two of the Color Corporals, 
Clark of Co. K and Gage of Co. E, have laid down 
their lives ; but they died gloriously, and what mat- 
ters the form in which death comes, if it finds us in 
the path of duty. 

•' Come to the bridal chamber, Death ; 

Come to the mother, when she feels 
For the first time her first-born's breath : 

Come when the blessed seals 
Which close the pestilence are broke, 
And crowded cities wail its stroke ; 
Come in Consumption's ghastly form ; 
The earthquake shock, the ocean storm ; 
Come when the heart beats high and warm. 

With banquet song, and dance, and wine, 
And thou art terrible : the tear, 
The groan, the knell, the pall, the bier, 
And all we know, or dream, or fear 

Of agony, are thine. 
But to the warrior, when his sword • 



21 



Has won the battle for the free, 
Thy voice sounds like a prophet's word, 
And in its hollow tones are heard 

The thanks of millions yet to be." 



Halleck. 




AM 



CHAPTER V. 



NEWMARKET. 




|fter a march of some hours, our Regiment had 
arrived in the vicinity of Newmarket, Ya. ; 
not, however, without an occasional shot be- 
ing exchanged between the light artillery 
which preceded us and that of the enemy. As we 
were marched to a position somewhat sheltered by a 
low ridge, this firing was kept up with vi^or. The 
peculiar tone and expression assumed by our com- 
mander, Colonel Wells, as he directed our movements 
will be remembered by many. " Don't you see how 
they are firing at me ? " was his demand, evidently 
more for its effect on his men than from any special 
concern as to his own safety. 

So passed the afternoon of Saturday, May 14, 1864, 



2S 



and the niglit, a rainy and uncomiuitable one, settled 
down upon us; but war is no respecter of the still- 
ness of night, and the fact of a foe being close at 
hand is a great promoter of uneasiness. Suddenly a 
shot is heard, then a volley^ and we are roused up 
without ceremony ; but the alarm proves nothing 
serious, being caused by a small reconnoitreing party 
from the enemy. We lie down again, all save the 
watchful sentinels, and sheltering ourselves from the 
rain so far as possible, get what sleep may be had 
under the circumstances. A part of the morning is 
occupied in putting our arms and ourselves in good 
fighting condition, though this is a difficult matter in 
some cases; the rain having, in spite of our care, 
reached our muskets to some extent. 

The quiet is broken by an order to a different po- 
sition, which order is repeated occasionally during 
the forenoon, keeping us in motion almost constantly 
from one point to another. At last, a satisfactory 
position having been reached, we lie down on our 
arms for a short time, but soon are ordered to rise 
and then to load and fire as rapidly as we can. In 
the meantime, a Battery has been stationed on ui.r 



24 



right and its guns begin to play on the enemy. After 
firing several volleys a charge' is ordered, and as we 
advance, the opposing force comes plainly into view. 
The yells and cheers accompanying this movement 
make it almost impossible to hear any order from our 
superior officers, but we finally comprehend that a 
" right-about " is ordered. This is executed, and we 
retrace our steps for a short distance, still keeping on 
a line with the colors, while the continuous cheering 
of the enemy shows that they fully appreciate their 
advantage. We now begin to feel seriously the eff*ect 
of the heavy lire, both musketry and artiller}^, which 
fills the air with deadly missiles. A prominent field 
officer is disabled by a severe wound, and as the 
enemy press close upon us, necessarily falls into their 
hands; wjiile others who are less injured are support- 
ed from the field to receive surgical aid. 

The Regiment, having reached a good position, is 
halted, faced about, and aids in checking the enemy's 
advance, much to the satisfaction of the wounded, 
who are making their way to Mt. Jackson, some four 
miles distant. Night falls, and the sounds of battle 
are hushed ; but this Sabbath day, so disturbed by 



25 



mortal strife, has proved the last for many who had 
cherished hopes of " bright days yet to be." 

** And Ardennes waves above them her green leaves, 

Dewy witli Nature"'s tear drops, as thoy pass ; 
Grieving, if aught inanimate e'er grieves, 

Over the, unreturning brave : alas ! 

Ere evening to be trodden like the grass ; 
Which now beneath them, but above shall grow 

In its next verdure, when this fiery mass 
Of living valor, rolling on the foe. 

And burning with high hope, shall moulder cold and low." 

Byron. 




26 



CHAPTER VI. 



INCIDENTS. 




jt will be remembered by some, that at an early 
period of our regimental history, a fever for 

^S§j enlistment into the regular army prevailed to 
a certain extent. The causes which produced 

this state of things are unknown to the writer, but it 

seems probable that highly colored statements as to 
the relative advantages of one branch of the service 
over another had been employed. 

Col. Wells, as the event proved, felt no sympathy 
with this movement, and had no idea of quietly look- 
ing on while his Regiment was depleted in numbers 
to fill the voracious maw of Uncle Sam. According- 
ly, taking his opportunity when they were drawn up 
for dress parade, he expressed his views in the case 



27 



in a manner that held the attention of all to the close. 
That part of his argument which covered the pomts 
of promotion and travel, as nearly as can be recalled, 
was something like this. "You have been promised 
opportunities for promotion and travel : as for travel, 
you would have plenty of that, and would have to 
travel pretty dose to the line. With regard to promo- 
tion in the regular army, there is a regular system of 
promotion, in which non-commissioned officers only 
stand a chance of sharing, and they after years of 
waiting." The address, whether from its sarcasm or 
its sense, was effectual in curing the uneasiness that 

had prevailed. 

At one time, the young and popular Captam of a 
certain Company saw fit to celebrate his birthday by 
furnishing his men with an unusual treat A supply 
of "lager" was secured from a neighbormg fort, and 
placed conveniently in one of the tents, with tl.e 
' understanding that all were welcomed to partake. 
As the evening advanced a spirit of jollity naturally 
prevailed, stimulated a little, it may be, by the mflu- 
ence of the Teutonic beverage, till the stentonan 
voice of Orderly B- rang out even more loudly than 



28 



usual, summoning the Company to fall in for evening 

roll-call, after which quiet was restored, and night 

settled down peacefully as usual over our camp. 

The Company in which occurred the last incident 

numbered among its original members two, who were 

truly of a kindred spirit, though of different birth. 

Once, for some infraction of discipline in which both 

were concerned, they were compelled to wear "the 

wooden shirt," and to march back and forth before 

the Captain's quarters : yet they Avere far from being 

disheartened, but with great merriment performed 

this unusual sentry duty, assisting each other, in case 

of any accident, with an almost brothei-ly regard. 

One of this pair of intimate friends is believed to 

have died at Andersonville. As to his comrade, many 

years have passed since the writer last beheld his 

strongly marked featui'es, end whether he is still in 

the land of the living is a matter of uncertainty. So 

drops the curtain over our heroes. 

" All the AvorUVs a stage, 
And all the men and Avomen merely players : 
They have their exits and their cntranees ; 
And one man in his time plays many parts, 
His acts being seven ages." Shahspeare. 



29 



CHAPTER VII. 



IN MEMORIAM. 




^^ few closing words as a tribute to the honored 
dead. While referring especially to a few 
r^||?2 names in this connection, no peculiar honor 
is claimed for them above the large number 
of their comrades in other Companies whose record 
is equally honorable ; but of those we know best we 
can, doubtless, best speak. 

Brave Christopher Pennell ; with a uoble ambition 
leaving his many friends to serve in another field, and 
falling at last before Petersburg. 

Captain William B. Bacon : an able and intrepid 
soldier, than whom few had brighter prospects of 
advancement and honor, stricken down at Newmarket 



30 



while inspiring his men with his own fearlessness of 
spirit. 

Sergeant Henry B. King : of a gentle and obliging 
spirit and beloved by all his comrades, dying on the 
field of battle, and leaving only the knowledge of his 
devotion to duty to cheer his youthful and bereaved 
companion. 

The brothers, Dwight and Henry Chickering : noble 
and promising youths, making the woods ring with 
the sound of their axes, and their whole-souled laugh- 
ter, as we prepared to encamp after the day's weary 
march. 

But one more will be particularly nientioned here, 
in reference to whom Brigade Surgeon Clarke uses 
this language, in a letter informing his friends of his 
-death : '' he was a brave, conscientious and faithful 
soldier." And what shall I say of thee, my brother, 
my faithful friend? Though the snows of seven 
winters have in -their season robed th}^ grave with a 
stainless winding-sheet, yet is thy memory cherished 
fondly as at first : still shall the flowers of each suc- 
ceeding summer strew that grave, and the lofty pines 
of thy native state shall furnish thy requiem. 



31 



*• How sleep the brave, who sink to rest 
By all their Country's wishes blest : 
By fairy hands their knell is rung ; 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; 
Here Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
To deck the turf that wraps their clay ; 
And Freedom shall awhile repair 
To dwell, a weeping hermit, there." 

Collins. 




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